Do Blood Pressure Medicines Increase COVID-19 Risk?
Medications taken by millions of patients around the world to prevent high blood pressure do not increase the risk of serious Covid-19 infections, according to the results of three major new studies.
ACE inhibitors, including drugs such as lisinopril, enalapril, and ramipril, are the most commonly used medications for hypertension. Leaving patients on ACE inhibitors or another popular class of hypertension medications called angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs) that are also given to diabetics to help protect their kidneys, in the midst of the COVID-19 epidemic has been hotly debated.
ARBs include medicines like losartan, valsartan and other generic drugs ending in –sartan.
It is not surprising that patients are worried about the use of blood pressure medications. Health experts have called for calm, saying people should stick to their medications because high blood pressure increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and kidney damage. They also demanded an investigation.
Animal studies have raised concerns that the drugs could increase the body's levels of a protein called ACE2, which causes the coronavirus virus to attack human cells, increasing the risk of the disease. But it is not known if the drugs actually increase ACE2 in the human lungs.
Evidence of this controversy has been found in animal studies that suggested the opposite effect: Medications might reduce inflammation in the lungs and reduce the risk of severe disease in coronavirus patients. The University of California's San Diego School of Medicine announced Thursday that a controlled trial is set to determine whether ACE inhibitors can help patients with Covid 19.
Three new studies were published on Friday in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).
Some people who check their blood pressure at home report that it is rising, and it was not clear if this was due to stress, lack of exercise, changes in their eating habits or Avoiding drugs.
To address this problem the first study looked at the medical records of about 9,000 patients who had entered the international registry of COVID-19. Between December 20, 2019, and March 29, 2020, patients from three continents were admitted to 169 hospitals. The goal was to find if coronavirus infection or severe illness was more common in people taking blood pressure medications.
The authors of an accompanying editorial in the NEJM said "We find it reassuring that three studies in different populations and with different designs arrive at the consistent message."
Harmony Reynolds, of the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, said she was relieved by the results, as she has been asked by anxious patients, who had read press reports, if they should stop their medication.
"I´m very happy to be able to tell patients that they should continue their blood pressure medications," she said.
sources:
Brenda Goodman, WebMD
Denise Grady, The New York Times
The News
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